Harry Potter and the Second Coming
by LC3
Summary: Harry's fifth year at Hogwart is turning up roses, but You-Know-Who wants him pushing up daisies. A Wanderer or two will play their part. Now rated R for language and violence.
1. The Owl Post

- Most of the characters depicted here belong to J. K. Rowling. In fact the only one I can really claim is Dameon Gray. He's mine, so hands off.   
- This story takes place in Harry's fifth year. I think its a pretty safe time period considering _there's not even a damned release date for the next book_.  
-I am going to write this as if it really was a book, so please forgive the repetition. If this really were the next book, Rowling would go back over some of the content in the previous books in case the reader hadn't read the whole series.  
-This is rated PG-13 for some mild and not-so-mild language. This is mainly on the part of Dameon since the Potter characters rarely use mild language. There will also be some violence, but what's new about that, right?   


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Harry Potter sat in his room in Number 4, Privet Drive, staring at the ceiling and listening to his stomach growl. His cousin, Dudley, was still on a diet even though he hadn't lost any weight in the past year. He had, on the other hand slowed down his weight gain and this, Harry's aunt decided, meant that the diet was too soft. The whole family was put on the diet to show Dudley support and Harry was scolded many times for not losing any weight. It wasn't his fault, of course. Harry was quite skinny to begin with and now the only word that could conceivably fit was "emaciated."   
Harry's summer vacation was, as usual, unbearable. Harry's parents had died when he was just one year old and he had living for the other fifteen with relatives who wished he had had the decency to die with his parents. He now spent all of his days in his room, finishing his holiday homework. The Dursleys used to lock Harry in a cupboard under the stair until the day he had been called to school.  
Harry wanted to go to school more than anything in the world and not just because it got him away from the Dursleys for the better part of a year. Harry was enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, premier school of magic. Hogwarts had become a second home to Harry and he could hardly wait to return in the fall when he would be able to see his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.  
Ron had said that he would send Harry an invitation to stay the final two weeks at his place, but Harry had received no owls, the post officers of wizards, from him the entire summer. It was as Harry was sulking over this that there was a tapping at the window. Harry could hear Hedwig, his owl, hooting hautily in her cage.  
After shushing Hedwig and tiptoeing across the floor, Harry opened the window. There was a flurry of feathers as three owls flew into the room and landed on Harry's bed. A fourth and much smaller owl continued to circle the room, hooting happily to itself. Harry recognized it as Ron's owl, Pig, and caught it before it made anymore noise. Attached to its leg was letter and small package, both of which Harry removed.  
He opened the letter first. It read:  
"_Hey Harry,  
Happy birthday!_"  
_Jeez_, Harry thought, _I forgot it was my birthday_.  
"_I hope Pig didn't lose your gift. Dad brought it home from work. I thought you could use one after last year._"   
Harry opened the package and drew out a silver watch with a leather strap. His old watch had broke after he had had to spend an hour under water last year. Ron's father worked in the Ministry of Magic's Department of Muggle Artifacts, which meant that this watch was almost certainly bewitched in some way.  
"_When you press the buttons on the side, it shows all the official Quiddich scores and team standings. Now you can keep up with the Cannons and those Muggles of yours won't know a thing about it.  
I've got some bad news though, Dumbledore sent us an owl saying we can't have you over this summer_," Harry's heart sank, "_but he wouldn't tell us why. Sorry. Well, hope to see you in Diagon alley.  
**Ron**_"  
Harry slipped on the watch and admired it for a while before getting the next letter and long, thin package from a large barn owl. The envelope bore the Hogwarts official seal. Harry snapped it quietly and pulled out three pieces of parchment. The first one was a list of school supplies for the next year. There were an awful lot of "To Be Announced" under the Teacher's column. The second was from Dumbledore himself. It read:  
"_Dear Harry,  
I regret to inform you that you cannot leave your aunt and uncle's care until August 25th, in which you will be picked up at noon by a Hogwarts representative. I'm sure you can understand that these security measures are for your own protection.  
I'm sorry, Harry.  
**Professor Albus Dumbledore,  
Headmaster Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**_"  
Harry sat for a few moments staring at the letter as though he was hoping it would change. When this failed to happen, he set it aside and read the third letter. It was from Sirius, Harry's fugitive godfather.  
"_Hello Harry,  
Dumbledore's letting me stay at Hogwart's for now. The Ministry's afraid to come near here after Fudge had that fight with Dumbledore. Happy birthday. I'm sending you a gift with the school owl. You can use it this year, but not until then, okay?  
See you soon,  
**Sirius**_"  
Harry's eyes moved to the package that came with the school owl. It was almost three feet long and not more than three inches thick. Harry unwrapped it eagerly and produced a beautiful short sword. Its sheath was jet black but its handle was gold and had red letters that read "PERICVLVM APPROPINQVARI" on the hilt. Harry unsheathed the sword and stared as it gleamed it the moonlight. After an awe-struck fifteen minutes, he sheathed the blade again and turned to another owl. This was also a school owl and also bore a letter and package. The letter addressed in Hagrid's shaky scrawl. The letter read:  
"_Dear Harry,  
There's a lot of changes a Hogwarts this year. I won't be teaching again this year, for one. I'm doing a special favour for Dumbledore. I don't know whose taking my place because I had to leave in a hurry. Dumbledore's also hired some bloke to take care of security. I thought he'd do that himself but I suppose he's been busy dealing with that idiot Fudge. I can't tell you where I am, but maybe you're gift'll give you a clue.  
Happy birthday, Harry  
**Hagrid**_"  
Harry, interest peaked, tore open Hagrid's gift. Inside a plain brown box was a pair of black dragon hide gloves. Hagrid's clue left Harry stumped, but the gloves themselves were a quite exquisite gift. They would protect the wearer for almost all temperatures and poisons and could deflect many powerful attacks, magic or otherwise. Harry set them next to his other gifts and went to see to the last owl. This one was wearing a collar bearing the insignia of the United Owl Postal Service and was also carrying a letter and package. This letter was addressed in Hermione's stiff handwriting. It read:  
"_Dear Harry,  
Happy birthday. I hope you are enjoying your summer (but I don't see how you could with those insufferable relatives of yours). I've spent the entire summer studying for our O.W.L.s which, I suppose, you haven't given a second thought.   
_O.W.L.s (or Ordinary Wizarding Levels) were taken in the fifth year of Hogwarts and, Hermione was right, Harry hadn't thought about them all summer._  
Honestly, Harry, if it wasn't for me you'd have flunked out dozens of times. I hope you can put your gift to good use. It has sample questions, grading levels, practice tests, a list of ways to detect trick questions, and another list of ways to bluff your way past difficult questions. When I saw it, I instantly thought of you. I hope it helps.  
Sincerely,  
**Hermione**_"  
_That Hermione_, Harry thought, _She's always worrying about me_. He slowly unwrapped Hermione's gift. It was a book, of course, entitled _How To Soar Through Your O.W.L.s_. Well, he thought, now I have something to do for the next few weeks.   
Harry wrote his replies, sent the owls back, shut the window, and tucked most of his new gifts under the loose floorboard under his bed. Then he spent a few minutes lying in bed, fiddling with the buttons on his new watch. Harry sighed deeply. He loved his gifts but they also reminded of all his friends that he wouldn't get to see for another two months. Harry Potter fell asleep feeling lonelier that he had ever felt before.

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-Please review. I definitely plan on writing more but I need you to tell me what you did or didn't like in this chapter. Chapter 2 will be called Unexpected Visitor.


	2. The Unexpected Visitor

- Most of the characters depicted here belong to J. K. Rowling. In fact the only one I can really claim is Dameon Gray. He's mine, so hands off.   
- This story takes place in Harry's fifth year. I think its a pretty safe time period considering _there's not even a damned release date for the next book_.  
-I am going to write this as if it really was a book, so please forgive the repetition. If this really were the next book, Rowling would go back over some of the content in the previous books in case the reader hadn't read the whole series.  
-This is rated PG-13 for some mild and not-so-mild language. This is mainly on the part of Dameon since the Potter characters rarely use mild language. There will also be some violence, but what's new about that, right?  


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The days seemed to crawl by since Harry's birthday. He kept himself busy by studying for his O.W.L.s, repeatedly striking the dragon hide gloves with his sword and watching, amazed, as the leather survived the blows without so much as a scratch. The book Hermione gave him was not what he expected. Hermione usually read textbooks that would put the most devoted insomniac into a deep slumber. How To Soar Through Your O.W.L.s was not a textbook and was actually interesting. It gave hints and tips and the most frequently seen questions and how to answer them. By the time the 25th of August finally rolled around, Harry felt as though he stood as good a chance as anybody to sweep the O.W.L.s, with the exception of Hermione.  
Harry awoke early on the twenty-fifth and began to pack his things. No sooner had he finished packing than Aunt Petunia's voice called from down-stairs.  
"If you're not down in one minute, things will go hard for you!"  
Harry sighed and ran down the stairs. When he reached the dining room, he saw Aunt Petunia cutting a grapefruit into three equal pieces and one not-so-equal piece. She gave Harry the small piece, which Harry took without complaint. Uncle Vernon, a large man with a large, neat mustache, looked down at Harry from behind his paper and said, "What are you so happy about?"  
"Someone's coming to pick me up for school today," Harry replied. There didn't seem much point in denying it.  
The Dursley's reaction might have confused anyone who didn't know them. Dudley, a fat boy one year older than Harry, grabbed his grapefruit and ran into the kitchen, pausing only to steal Harry's piece as well. Aunt Petunia hurried after him, giving Uncle Vernon a meaningful look. Uncle Vernon looked like an active volcano.  
"What?" he erupted, "I didn't give those... those FREAKS permission to come to my house!"  
"Neither did I," said Harry, defensively, "I didn't have a choice!"  
Uncle Vernon looked on the verge of doing something he wouldn't regret, so Harry quickly retreated to his room. He spent the next few hours with a curious smile on his face as he listened to the Dursleys run around the house, trying to get it and themselves to look as respectable as possible. Harry knew this wasn't because the wanted to impress the visitor but, instead, to make it quite obvious that they were two stations above any wizard Hogwarts cared to send.  
When the clock struck noon, Harry peered out of his door and saw the Dursleys lined up in front of the front door. A few minutes passed and Harry could hear snatches of Uncle Vernon's muttering. "Typical" and "should have known" were repeated quite often.  
There was a sharp knock on the door. Uncle Vernon straightened his tie, stepped forward, and opened the door. Harry couldn't see who it was because his view was blocked by Uncle Vernon's bulk, but whoever it was seemed to leave Uncle Vernon speechless. He did see that Dudley had hidden behind Aunt Petunia and that she had raised her hand to her mouth. The visitor said something Harry couldn't understand to Uncle Vernon in a low, scratchy voice.  
"H-Harry," called Uncle Vernon in a strange, high voice, "Get d-down here, please!" He was obviously scared. Uncle Vernon had never said please to Harry before.  
Harry was heading down the stairs, dragging his trunk and Hedwig's cage, when he saw who was at the door.  
"Sirius!" Harry yelled. Standing in the doorway was a tall, messy-haired man. Harry's godfather, Sirius Black. Harry had rushed forward and was standing before Sirius when he realized why the Dursley's were so scared. Two years ago, they had seen Sirius face on the Muggle news with no information except that he had armed and dangerous. As he and Sirius walked away, he could hear Uncle Vernon tell Aunt Petunia to call the police. Harry gave Sirius a nervous look.  
"Don't worry. We have a Portkey," said Sirius, holding up an empty Dr. Pepper can. "We've got about one minute left."  
"I really love that sword," Harry said after he put his free hand on the Portkey.  
"I though you would. It's supposed to have some sort of enchantment on it, but I couldn't find out what it is."  
"Why did you saw I could use it this year?"  
Sirius smiled. "You'll see."  
Just then, Harry got a pulling sensation in his stomach, the sign that that the Portkey was activating. The world swerved and went out of focus. When it came back, Harry and Sirius were standing in an alleyway. Harry could tell by the roaring sound outside of the alley that they were in a city. It looked familiar.  
"We're in London, Harry," said Sirius, "The Leaky Cauldron is about one block that way, on the left side."  
"Aren't you coming with me?" Harry asked, knowing the answer.  
"I can't. I'm sorry. The Ministry's still looking for me. I can't go into a place with that many wizards. Sorry, Harry," he said again, but the he brightened up. "But I'll see you at Hogwarts," he gave Harry a hug and smiled when they broke, "One week, right?"  
"Right," said Harry. He watched Sirius run off, feeling better than he had in months. Then he made his way to the Leaky Cauldron, a wizard pub. Tom, the landlord, looked at Harry as though he had been expecting him.  
"Got you a room all ready for ya'," Tom said, leading Harry up a flight of stairs, "Got an owl from Dumbledore himself saying you'd be showin' up today."  
When Harry had gotten settled in, he had time to really appreciate the fact that he was officially away from the Dursley's and that he would see his friends in a matter of days. Tom brought Harry dinner later that night and said that everything was already paid for. Harry ate ravenously and slipped into a carbohidrate-indused sleep.  


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-Please review. I definitely plan on writing more but I need you to tell me what you did or didn't like in this chapter. Chapter 3 will be called Mysterious Gifts.


	3. Mysterious Gifts

- Most of the characters depicted here belong to J. K. Rowling. In fact the only one I can really claim is Dameon Gray. He's mine, so hands off.   
- This story takes place in Harry's fifth year. I think its a pretty safe time period considering _there's not even a damned release date for the next book_.  
-I am going to write this as if it really was a book, so please forgive the repetition. If this really were the next book, Rowling would go back over some of the content in the previous books in case the reader hadn't read the whole series.  
-This is rated PG-13 for some mild and not-so-mild language. This is mainly on the part of Dameon since the Potter characters rarely use mild language. There will also be some violence, but what's new about that, right?  


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Now the days were passing quickly. After withdrawing some money from his account in Gringotts, a wizard banks. Harry went from store to store in Diagon Alley, refilling his potion supplies, buying his books, and checking out the display window of Quality Quiddich Supplies. The Firebolt, Harry's was still tucked away in his trunk, was still the best broom available. The price was lower now but still extremely expensive. Harry spent most of his time outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, enjoying the sunshine and reading _How to Soar Through Your O.W.L.s_. _Hermione's turning me into a bookworm_, he thought.  
Saturday, Harry woke up late and had breakfast in the Leaky Cauldron. As he was walking down Diagon Alley, he spotted a tall, lanky boy with flame-red hair looking at the Firebolt display.   
"Ron!" Harry yelled, "Hey, Ron!"  
Ron turned around and smiled, "Hey."  
"The price came down," Harry said, indicating the Firebolt.  
"Not enough," Ron said, sadly. The Weasleys were perpetually poor, a subject Harry changed away from whenever it came up.  
"Come on, I'll buy you a sundae," Harry said, leading Ron away from Quality Quiddich Supplies.  
"Where's everyone else?" asked Harry, on the way.  
"Still buying their books," answered Ron. He raised a sack that was obviously filled with books. "Hermione was with us-There she is! Hermione!"  
Hermione was already sitting at a table at the ice cream parlor. She looked up from a book when Ron called to her and waved them over. Harry and Ron sat on either side of her.  
"Hi, Harry," she said. "Did you get my gift?"  
"Yeah, it's been a big help, thanks. And I love my new watch, Ron."  
"You're welcome, Harry," said Hermione.  
"Yeah," said Ron, "No problem."  
Ron looked at what Hermione was reading. "'_How to Playe the Flute Inn Jufte 12 Easy Leffons_.' Since when do you play the flute?"  
"Well," she said, "someone sent me one and this book during the summer."  
"Wait," said Ron, "If it was Krum, I don't want to know."  
"No, it wasn't _Viktor_. I don't know who it was," she said, pulling out a silver flute, "It was sent anonymously."  
"Yeah? That's weird," said Ron pulling something out of his pocket, "Someone sent me this," he held up what looked like a squashed, silver sphere. "Dad did all sorts of tests on it but couldn't find any sort of magic, whatsoever."  
"You think they're connected?" Harry asked.  
"Dunno," said Ron, "'Mione, your flute need a knob?"  
"I think he what he meant," Hermione said stoutly, "was that they might have been sent by the same person."  
They all considered this for a moment. Then, to break the silence, Harry said, "Want to see what Sirius and Hagrid got me?"  
The three spent the rest of the afternoon in Harry's room admiring his new gifts. Harry, while Ron was being visibly jealous of Harry's sword, asked Hermione what the inscription meant, hoping to gain some insight into its powers.  
"I don't know," she replied, "I know 'perculum' means 'danger,' but that doesn't mean much if you don't know the rest. Did Hagrid send you these?" She held up the gloves.  
"Yes. He said they were a clue about where he was, but I don't get it."  
"Harry, you of all people should get this."  
"What?"  
"These are black, dragon hide gloves."  
"Yeah, so...?"  
Hermione huffed. "_Black_... _Dragon_..."  
It finally dawned on Harry. Last year he was forced to try and get past a black dragon in a tournament. "Hungarian Horntail," he said.  
"Yes!" Hermione squeaked, "Hagrid's in Hungary."  
"What's he doing there?" Harry asked.  
Ron tore his eyes away from the sword to answer, "Probably trying to recruit some giants to Dumbledore's side with that Madam Maxime. They both disappeared after the Triwizard Tournament last year, remember?"  
"Well," said Harry, "that solves that, but what about the sword."  
"We should be able to find someone at Hogwarts to tell us," said Hermione, "Which reminds me, we should get to bed. We've got to get up early to catch the Hogwarts Express. Goodnight, Harry. Goodnight, Ron." She left the room and headed upstairs.  
Ron gave the sword back to Harry, "Really cool, Harry. G'night."  
"G'night, Ron," Harry said, as Ron left and went down stairs.   
Harry took another look at the sword and was about to put it away, when he heard footsteps out in the hall. They stopped in front of Harry's room. Harry turned around and saw Ginny, Ron sister, staring at him. Ginny had always had a crush on Harry, so he put the sword away before she got any sort of "knight-in-shining-armour" thoughts.  
"G'night, Ginny," he said.  
Ginny blushed deeply and hurried upstairs.  
Harry closed the door and got ready for bed. As he slipped under the bed sheets, he heard Hermione practicing her flute. She was very good, the music was quite soothing. Soon, Harry was drifting off, thinking vaguely that things kept getting better and better.  


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-Please review. I definitely plan on writing more but I need you to tell me what you did or didn't like in this chapter. Chapter 4 will be called Hogwarts Express.


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